Destiny's little secret
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: President Phoenix will go out of her way to protect her granddaughter, but how far will she go to protect the twelve year old- is she willing to go all the way and defy the laws of the Capitol? Or will destiny turn the tables? SYOC/SYOT story so check my profile for the forms :)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me

A/N: So I'm joining the leagues of other writers and doing a SYOT story (submit your own tribute – people have asked me what the T was) and I would love for you to submit characters, of which you can PM me and I'll reply with the form – there are 24 spaces left to fill and I would love for anyone to get in touch and if you want to submit an escort, stylist, or mentor, then don't hesitate PMing me!

**Chapter 01**

The Capitol

President Phoenix stared out the window at her twelve year old granddaughter walking along a marble bench beside a circular pool. A lone blue admiral butterfly circled around the youngster's head, fluttering its wings gently to remain airborne.

The President watched her granddaughter, wondering how different life might be like for her now that she is old enough to be in the reaping bowl once. And the President made sure it was only once. There was no way that President Phoenix was going to allow the child to go through the Games and experience what the President had seen and condemned so many children to go through.

She took presidency of the Games after the last President died from poisoning. Conspiracies and rumours amongst Phoenix's colleagues sparked when she took the throne, but that was in the past. A new Gamemaker had been brought in, along with a whole new workforce that would make the next Hunger Games were even better than the last.

"President Phoenix," a voice whispered from the door.

When she turned around, she saw her Gamemaker associate standing in the doorway. He was a tall but sturdy man who had an unusual haircut for a man of the Capitol. It was a normal mound of mousey brown hair that was styled with a short quiff at the front. This morning, he was wearing a crisp white shirt and a deep red velvet cropped blazer. The gloves on his hands were only there to hide the burns that he had endured during a freak accident when he was a child.

"Leo Fox- it has been a while." President Phoenix held her hand out for him.

Fox shook her delicate hand gently. "Your granddaughter had grown up to be quite a charming young lady. I saw her just outside and I cannot believe that she is actually twelve years old – has she undergone training for the Games?" He walked her over to the long table that sat in the middle of the room, the first thing you'd see when you entered the room.

Phoenix just managed to keep calm. "How dare you- no, of course she has not, because she is not going to be reaped. I will make sure of it."

"I'd like to know what you're insinuating, Phoenix." One of Fox's thick and dark eyebrows rose like it was a fish being reeled in on a hook. "Because I need to know what's going in behind closed doors, despite your position. Then I may be able to have your back, should anything become unearthed in future years."

There was a moment of silence whilst Phoenix pondered whether to inform Fox of what she had arranged regarding her granddaughter's safety.

"Let's take a walk outside." The train of Phoenix's dress disturbed the dirt and dust that had been dragged in by Fox as she walked towards the door with Fox behind her like a puppy to its master. "Are you prepared for the next Hunger Games, Fox?"

"I am ready for whatever may come my way, it's what I have been preparing for the past years when I was an apprentice to the, the last Gamemaker. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve regarding the Games and it will be interesting to see how they unfold. The thought of being a puppeteer intrigues me. What is it like to have the power of control?"

"It's like being able to decide the fate of children – they are players of a game where you are the dice. Miss a go and it's all over." Phoenix walked down the stairs towards the garden. "But with great power, you have to find a way to cope with knowing that you are the reason children are dead."

"How do you deal with that pressure?"

"I get on with it, my granddaughter will live past her eighteenth birthday – I have made sure of it."

"You never told me how?" Fox was insistent on knowing the truth. He couldn't afford to let President Phoenix try and drop in him it if push came to shove.

"I've sort out a replacement volunteer – that way she'll be safe… That's how it works, but you are the third person to know. Other than me and the volunteer, there's only you who knows. You'll be the one to take the fall," President Phoenix replied with a ruthless tone to make sure that the message was clear.

"Right."

"So now you'll be preparing for the Games, won't you? Because the reaping is fast approach and I've been told that there has been an influx of names that have been put into the reaping bowls. Goodbye Leo Fox." President Phoenix turned to look at her granddaughter, calling for her to follow.

The girl stopped peering into the pond that was bare from the koi that used to swim freely within it and turned towards her relatively young looking grandmother and nodded. She quickly ran up to her grandmother's side, taking a hand that felt frail and fragile to hold onto in hers.

"What's going on, Grandma?"

"I'm just protecting you my dear…"

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Hiya – hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and please do PM if you want to submit a tribute for the games, or an escort, or a mentor, or a mentor, or anything else I've missed! I'll reply with the profile form for you to fill out **** simple!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me

A/N: I'm back with another chapter and I've been blown away by the response from the submissions, thank you so much – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left.

Female tribute – 2, 6, 9, 11, 12

Male tribute – 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12

Mentor – (any except 4 and 11)

Escort – (any except 4)

Stylist – (any!)

**Chapter 02**

The Capitol

The grandmother waved goodbye to her granddaughter who was sitting delicately on the train that was destined to arrive at the station in district one.

"Stay safe, little mockingjay," the grandmother, President Phoenix, murmured to herself with her hand swaying beside her head.

Little mockingjay was what she called the young girl ever since she was a baby. On the day that the girl was born, the mockingjays sang at their loudest after a period of silence which people thought was a migratory period. President Phoenix believed that the birth of this little girl was what brought the mockingjays back, she always had done, and always would do.

There was a hiss and a whistle as the train pulled away from the station and hurtled out of the station.

"President Phoenix, I knew I'd find you here…"

Fox, if there was anyone whose voice Phoenix did not want to hear – his was definitely near the top of the list, maybe even the top position. With a deep breath through the small gap she had allowed her mouth to make, she turned slowly, pivoting on the ball of her right foot.

"Mr Fox – you do understand that your position as a gamemaker does not mean that you have some sort of power over me, don't you? Despite the fact you know about the precautions I have taken to protect my granddaughter, you do not hold a position above mine, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep tabs on me. And please don't assume that you know where I'll be because I am not predictable whatsoever."

"Oh President Phoenix, I could turn your world around if you so much as try to underestimate my abilities. I don't know about you, but I don't believe that anyone would agree that you had been adjusting how the reaping should occur, by the bribery you have organised so that your granddaughter will not be chosen to represent her home district. Which reminds me, how come she does not live in the Capitol, with you?"

Phoenix's mind was cast back to the moment that her daughter was in the process of bringing her granddaughter into the world. The words that were told to Phoenix were ones that forced her to promise never to let her granddaughter take a permanent residency in the Capitol, because 'it was a place that changed you for the worst' and Phoenix agreed. Phoenix agreed to take care of this little baby girl, and after she said this, the president's daughter's vitals began to shut down.

Up until now, President Phoenix and her granddaughter were all that the other have in terms of a family.

"Because I made a promise to my daughter moments before she died to not let her live in the Capitol permanently."

"Promises must be important to you, aren't they?" Fox held his hand out palm up for her. "Shall we walk?"

"I suppose." President Phoenix placed her hand on top of Fox's slender hand. "You still haven't told me what you have planned for the next Games, and the promotional video about the Hunger Games?"

To Phoenix, there was something peculiar about Fox, he seemed more secretive than was necessary. Normally, she would have found this tedious, but this time, it was different. This time was one that kept President Phoenix intrigued but weary, weary of the fact that he may try and overthrow her.

"That is because there is nothing to tell. I have no plans about any upcoming Hunger Games, or even for this promotional video…" Fox replied calmly, contrast to Phoenix's edging on frantic behaviour. "I know it's not what you expected, but I want to make a change for the Games."

"You do know that I can have you replaced should you not reach expectations. It can easily be done – it has been done so in the past, and I can just as easily do it," President Phoenix said with a huge spite in her voice – this was not a threat that Fox should take so lightly.

The way her eyes narrowed told him he needed to put his finger out and make some solid preparations for this year.

She turned away from Fox and paced a few steps before looking back. "I must journey to see Mr Horatio Sphinx and Miss Thalia Siren. My trusted interviewer and commentator – I believe you are acquainted with Miss Siren, are you not?"

A smirk crept across Fox's face. "I must say that I am. She is a bewitching specimen of a woman, with everything perfect in every single way, when she has her clothes on, and especially when she has them off. I've seen for myself-"

"Please." President Phoenix rolled her eyes. "I do not need to hear of what or who you do behind closed doors."

"You were the one who asked Madame President," Fox replied boldly, almost taunting the president. "I feel that a proposal is on the horizon."

"Don't you know that she and Horatio have been bedding one another for some time now, Fox? Believe me when I say that nothing you say will tempt me to do or say anything which may cause me to lose my presidency."

"But what of the conspiracy that you have paid someone the volunteer should your granddaughter be reaped?"

For a moment, Phoenix's heads clenched and she felt the sharpness of her large onyx studded ring digging into the hand it was on. But that moment came and went as Phoenix went towards the handmaid who was holding a parasol up for the president to shade her pale white skin from the sun's rays.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I'm not so sure about this chapter – I think I just wanted to finish it – which is not normally how I write my chapters. I might apologise if you believe the ending got a little inappropriate, I just wanted conflict and taunting to arise between Fox and Phoenix :S**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left.

Female tribute – 2 or 9, and 11

Male tribute – 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9

Mentor – (any except 4 and 11)

Escort – (any except 4)

Stylist – (any!)

**Chapter 03 **

_Five years passed and, like every year, President Phoenix arranged for the same child to volunteer if her granddaughter was chosen in the reaping. However, one particular incident truly scared President Phoenix into getting her granddaughter trained for the games- this fear was amplified by the fact that Fox was there whispering these torturous nothingness in her ear. Mainly about the possibility that something could end up happening to the replacement tribute that might jeopardise the young girl. The way he said it sounded like a threat to Phoenix, and threats were never taken lightly with her. However, she knew that she couldn't fire Fox, because that might put her granddaughter in an even greater danger. So in addition to the existing arrangement of a replacement, the grandmother made sure that her granddaughter stayed at the Capitol during the run up to the games and trained with existing victors in order to make the youngster the best that she could be. Fox kept a watchful eye on Phoenix which forced her into a corner and into protecting her granddaughter with all the power she had. President Phoenix did it all because she loved her granddaughter more than anything – ever since Phoenix lost her daughter and son-in-law, there was nothing more important. _

**District one**

After enduring a long but luxurious shuttle journey to her home district, the President's granddaughter was glad to be home where her nanny, Miss Teagan Bright, was there to pick her up.

"Miss Arianna, you're looking as beautiful as ever. You really are going to turn into a phenomenal young lady one day."

"But Teagan, the problem is that I already am a young lady. I'm already sixteen, nearly seventeen." Arianna walked ahead of her nanny and out of the station area, passing the numerous computer screens displaying the district one symbol, the castle with a bright light behind it. Symbolising a life of luxury.

Outside of the station, the pair were hit by the sweet aroma of layered notes. The top notes of multiple fruits and berries that had been manufactured elsewhere to keep the home district clean from factory fumes. Over the berries, the floral notes emerged, of things like ylang-ylang and rose or even jasmine. Botany and geology were of great interest to Arianna Phoenix. All of those notes were piled on top of the wooded scents. Scents that you could rarely smell in district one unless they were in bottled forms..

"Having been in the Capitol for so long, I've missed the fragrances you can smell in this place." Arianna smiled, inhaling the variety of different smells that emanated from the rows of shops. "I'm glad to be back in this place, Teagan. This district is my home, and even if my grandmother lives in the Capitol, it won't ever feel like home to me."

"That's interesting to hear. You know your grandmother wants you to stay safe. She makes you stay in the Capitol for your own safety, you know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Teagan, you realise that even though you are only a few year older than me, you know exactly how to react and what to say. As you know, the reaping is fast approaching and you have been instructed to take care of me, as per usual. But that's only half of the game beyond the Hunger Games." Arianna ran her hand through her hair and heaved a deep sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, well, something. I feel like I've lost out on a childhood because I've been cooped up in the President's penthouse suite that towered above everything else in the Capitol. There are no children whatsoever in the Capitol, none." Arianna linked arms with her nanny, leaning forwards to whisper. "Put it this way. I've never touched alcohol, or tried morphing- or even been intimate with a guy!" She broke out into a gentle giggle.

The next morning, the morning of the reaping to be precise, Arianna awoke from a peaceful night's sleep and drew the curtains to let the light stream into her bedroom. It was a large and grand bedroom that had luxurious silks and magnificent fur rugs that were so soft under foot.

"Teagan!" she called out in a cheerfully tuneful voice, but she got worried when there was no reply. "Teagan?"

Still no reply.

Arianna walked slowly out of her room, feeling her nightgown blowing in the wind from an open window. The house looked so tidy and had recently been cleaned the evening before and everything seemed in order in the house. She shuffled down the huge part spiralling staircase, passing striking artwork that hung on the wall and tried to grab your attention away from who the house belonged to. A sixteen year old girl, curtesy of her grandmother, the President of the Capitol.

"Teagan Bright?" the homeowner yelled louder, hoping that if her nanny was outside, it would be loud enough for her to hear. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not working." She even went to the trouble of pulling a small sharp dagger that had been concealed in the belt of a suit of armour.

Making her way around the house, Arianna was left to venture into the kitchen, a room which she rarely went into. The small knife dropped from her hand and clattered on the floor inches from her foot.

Lying in a pool of crimson red blood was Teagan. The youngster slipped from the blood that was on his floor and crashed to the stone floor. For a moment, the pain in her knee made her believe that she had broken her leg and shattered her kneecap.

"Teagan!" Arianna screamed, patting the older girl's collar bones, hoping for some kind of response.

When there was no response, it dawned on Arianna that Teagan was dead. Her throat slit early in the morning, or very late at night.

The granddaughter of the president struggled to get to the telecommunicational phone that her grandmother had installed in the house in case of an emergency.

"Arianna, what is it?" she heard her grandmother ask on the other end of the line.

"Teagan's dead, Grandma. Someone's murdered her…"

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Ah! What a shocker! But be sure to get in touch if you want to submit a character **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left.

Female tribute – 11 (Though I'm pretty sure that district nine may still have an opening unless I hear back from another writer :S true true)

Male tribute – 3, 5, 6, 7, 9

Mentor – (any except 4 and 11)

Escort – (any except 4)

Stylist – (any!)

**Chapter 04**

President Phoenix held the device to her ear in shock, never in her lifetime did she expect to hear that her plan to protect her only grandchild and living relative had been foiled. Never. With the reaping happening in only a mere few hours, there was a microscopic chance that the President would be able to organise a new volunteer for Arianna.

"Arianna, everything will be alright, Teagan was disposable in the overall scheme of things."

"Disposable?" Arianna squealed over the phone. "Grandma, what do you mean disposable?"

"She was put in your house to protect you – at any cost. Now I have sent a team of Peacekeepers to take the body away."

"What?"

"Enough!" Phoenix snapped. "You listen to me now, young lady. You are nearly at the end of the time that you can be reaped in, so whatever happens, you must promise me that you will not volunteer on any accounts. Promise me!"

"But what if-"

"I said promise me Arianna." The President of the games listened and waited for a reply, before prompting one.

"Fine Grandma…" Arianna sighed. "Grandma, I'm not going to be chosen. In all the years I've been in the reaping bowl, I've never once been chosen."

_That wasn't strictly speaking true. When she was fourteen, I had a plan orchestrated before Teagan was used to protect Arianna. I had the escort signal another tribute to volunteer instantly, should my granddaughter's name be chosen. As soon as I had watched the escort click her fingers on the screen as if she was trying to say the name, I knew what the name was on the parchment. Arianna Phoenix. I had her name changed to Phoenix soon after her parents died. _

"Yes, Arianna." President Phoenix nodded slowly. "I wish you luck in the reaping. Goodbye."

It tore Phoenix apart knowing that she couldn't help her own flesh and blood, she couldn't protect her granddaughter.

"My, my, what a predicament you are in right now…" Fox stood in the doorway and taunted the president. He looked down at the cuff of his white blazer. "Oh, look at that, a speck of blood. Pity, because now I'll have to get a new suit."

"What are you doing here, Fox?" Phoenix walked towards the door and past the gamemaker on the way out of the room. "So how is Horatio's son?"

Fox clenched his jaw shut for a moment before opening his mouth. "My son is not Horatio's. Thalia would not betray me after I married her. And my son has a name, it's Paris, and you know that. Thalia is a faithful wife, and she may have indulged in encounters with her colleague, but that does not mean that Paris is not my son."

"Is that so?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Come along then, let's go and see if our colleagues have managed to set up a projection link with the districts. I would very much like to hold Thalia and Horatio's son in my arms."

Fox's fists shook, but rather than confront the president, he walked away.

"I thought so," President Phoenix mumbled to herself.

She took her private transport shuttle towards the viewing centre. The viewing centre was a new building that had been constructed in the last year so that the President and her entourage of assistants could watch the Games and analyse Fox's gamemaker abilities.

President Phoenix met Thalia Siren- now Fox – on the private balcony holding her baby son in her thin and fragile looking arms.

"He's growing so big lately, and you grow so thing, Thalia… May I hold him?" Phoenix held her arms out for the child.

"Of course- he looks more and more like his father every day." Thalia looked dotingly at her son as she placed him into the President's arms. "Babies are such wonderful creatures."

"You say he looks like his father – but which one do you mean?" President Phoenix glanced at Thalia, eager to know the honest answer. "Well, you told me all those years ago about your so called meetings with Horatio, and also with Leo. But what I'd like to know, is who the real identity of your son's father is…"

"I don't know," Thalia replied bravely. "It doesn't matter though, because Leo is my husband and Paris is my son. By marriage, Leo will always be Paris' father. Besides, Horatio has already moved on, and with an Avox girl at that. It's a disgrace."

"Oh, well I knew Horatio was a promiscuous character, but I know that you will do what is best for Paris. Though I'm sure that the tributes and youngsters of Panem would love to see the little guy growing up like this… Perhaps you should bring him along when you're commentating about the Games," Phoenix suggested, before forcefully adding, "I would very much like for that to happen."

"Yes ma'am." Thalia took her son back before leaving Phoenix on the balcony by herself.

"Well, well Thalia… This is an intriguing situation you have put yourself in, now I know that not even you have the knowledge regarding Paris' biological father, I have something over all three of you. Be careful who you decide to cross little girl, because you do not want to mess with me. I can ruin your life in seconds."

At this point, the escort from district one was just approaching the microphone, ready to read out the name of the female tribute. Before they had even gotten there, a male tribute had volunteered to be put forwards. He was now standing at the escort's left side waiting to hear who his fellow tribute and probably most trusted ally would be.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = What a cold heartless person President Phoenix has become… Well, make sure to review and submit a character if you'd like to! **** quickly whilst spaces last! **


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left.

Female tribute – 11 (Though I'm pretty sure that district nine may still have an opening unless I hear back from another writer :S true true)

Male tribute – 3, 5, 6, 7, 9

Mentor – (any except 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

Stylist – (any!)

**Chapter 05**

"District one – it is my greatest pleasure to present you with your tributes for the seventieth hunger games." The young escort, called Elina, took the hand of the female tribute. "Miss Arianna Phoenix!"

Lifting Arianna's hand to the sky, there was a silent feel about the fact that the granddaughter of the Capitol's President had been reaped. Not everyone understood the reason why Arianna didn't live with her grandmother, but some of the older children had seen the funny side of the situation and had begun to snigger to themselves.

"And the other youngster, this man, called Tobias Griffin." Elina forced the older boy's hand up into the air – much to the joy of the crowd of wooped and cheered. "What a game we are going to have this year, the Phoenix and the Griffin!"

The sound of Arianna and Tobias' surnames together seemed to cause a murmur of discussion.

Elina turned around so that her back with to the children. "Come along now." The long trail of her skirt skimmed the floor as she tottered towards the double doors in heels that made Arianna squirm at the thought of wearing them.

A Peacekeeper on either side of the door opened them up, keeping their gaze straight ahead and barely acknowledging Elina passing through them with her two tributes.

The slam of the doors shutting echoed throughout the hallway and the two tributes were being guided to the waiting room.

Arianna had only heard of what happens after the reaping from her grandmother – she knew what to expect, she just wasn't sure how she was going to cope.

She looked across the hallway to Tobias. He was a little taller than she was, and had light brown hair that caught the sunshine as it peeped through the gap in the curtains of the windows that chased them along the corridor. There was a part of Arianna that hoped he would make a good ally, but what she wondered was whether he remembered her.

Arianna recalled a sunny morning when she was walking through the market with Teagan – they had come across a jewellery stand where there was a necklace. It was a tightly woven leather braid with a turquoise blue O shaped stone with a hole in it. Teagan had refused to allow Arianna to purchase something which looked so tacky and unlike a possession of the President's granddaughter. Fighting back the tears, she caught the eye of a boy who was leaning against an alleyway beside the market road. It was only when Arianna got home and was playing in the garden that she noticed the necklace she had looked fondly upon early hanging on a neatly pruned shrub. She had only caught a glimpse of the boy in the alleyway dropping off the other side of the wall, but she was sure it was the boy in the alleyway. Sure that it was the boy she had just been reaped alongside.

"Arianna, would you be a darling and wait in here for me? In here please," Elina directed the female tribute into a long room. "Take a seat, dear, and wait until I come back…" Her gloved hand took the doorknob and slammed the door shut.

_What am I going to do?_

Arianna looked at the three tall windows that were opposite here. Taking her chances, she ran over to them. Running her hands along the edge of the window, she helplessly searched for a broken seal – as if that would happen in the district of luxuries – or a lock that she could bust open. Her breathing rate quickened as the panic began to set in. The room was closing in on her, and there was no escape. Bracing her hands on the wall, she deeply inhaled, desperately pleading her body to calm down.

"What are you doing, girl?" Elina put on a false smile as she stood in the doorway. "It seems there are no guests for you to say goodbye to."

"They're either dead or living in the Capitol…" Arianna replied coldly, unappreciative of the falseness that was in the escort's smile. "I'm not crazy, I'm just… just preparing myself."

The smile turned brighter. "Oh good, I do like a tribute who takes things seriously." Elina turned away, showing off her clothes like a child with a new toy. "Come on then, time to go."

"But where are we going?" the girl asked, quickly following Elina as she strode down the corridor at a more rapid speed.

"To the Capitol, sweetie. Anyone would think you've never seen the games before." Elina raised her hands to her hips and turned with the corridor.

"Well no, I haven't. My grandmother normally takes me back to the Capitol for training or studying – there isn't normally access to a broadcasted screen of the games. I've always assumed that they are dangerous and not to be taken lightly. So what are they like?"

"They're a fight to the death – it's not an interesting situation at all," a voice said, a boy's voice.

Its presence somewhat startled Arianna as she turned to see Tobias standing tall behind her.

"Oh, I never said it was interesting. I'm more…interested in the process itself rather than the games." Arianna felt her cheeks flood with colour as she looked at her fellow tribute.

"Well I don't know about you, but this time, there's going to be a victor from district one." Tobias looked as though he was smiling, but it was so faint that Arianna wasn't sure if she was seeing things.

There was a part of Arianna that agreed with him, she too hoped there was going to be a victor from district one.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Thank you so much to everyone who has submitted a character so far, Elina was created by Asherah Isa so thank you for her **** Hopefully we'll get to meet some more submitted tributes soon, but some male tributes are in demand right now!**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me (D1Escort-Asherah Isa; D1Mentor-CelticGames4)

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left. Not many tributes left now!

Female tribute – 9 and 11

Male tribute – 6 and 7

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

Stylist – (any!)

**Chapter 06**

Elina tottered her way towards the shuttle that would take her and the tributes to the centre of the Capitol.

There were lots of people waiting beside the shuttle train, but some of them looked solemn. More of them looked pleased with the fact that it was the President's granddaughter who had to compete in the Games.

"Smile and wave you two…" Elina gritted her teeth with a false smile that forced the two tributes to do the same.

A little girl with two tightly woven plaits and a cute button nose held a flower out to Tobias, the male tribute that Arianna had been paired with. The flower was delicate and a pure white with absolutely no smudges of other colour to it.

Without even consulting his escort, Tobias reached out and took the flower from her. She smiled before ducking away into the crowd.

"What were you thinking?" Elina snapped, pulling the boy into the shuttle.

Arianna was bumped into by him and the door was slowly closed. "Sorry," she mumbled apologetically to her fellow tribute, despite not having done anything wrong.

"Tobias, you cannot just accept gifts from odd children on the street. That's unacceptable behaviour for any tribute of mine. I do not advise it." Elina rubbed her temple with her finger and thumb. "I feel a headache coming on… Behave whilst you are on board!" she added with a bubblier attitude than she was showing before. She walked away down the corridor spanning one side of the train and opened a door that the tributes were sure reflected sparkles on the wall opposite.

"So, the President's granddaughter is going to compete in the Hunger Games, never thought I'd see that happen – let alone be in the same Games as her." Tobias sat down at the table opposite the main door of the shuttle, waiting for Arianna to sit down.

She slowly sat down opposite him. "That could have happened just as much as you being reaped. We had equal chances."

"But your grandmother must have planned for someone to volunteer for you – I mean, Teagan can't have just died for no reason, right?"

Arianna was surprise that Tobias knew about Teagan's death, but when he quickly added that he heard screams coming from the house, he came running but when he got there, a barrier of Peacekeepers were already there.

"You sound so certain about the fact that I would have a volunteer… What makes you say that?" Arianna sat down, watching Tobias and waiting for an answer.

"Because loads of people from other districts have a vendetta against you as you are the President's granddaughter. Well, if the President is able to threaten so many other families, then that makes you a target for any rebel groups that exist."

Arianna was shocked – she had never really thought about the things her grandmother had done as a result of her job and position.

"But don't worry, we're careers. Nothing's going to get in our way. I'll look after you." Tobias reached out for her hand, but she moved it away. "What?"

"Sorry. I've just learnt not to trust people so easily – I mean, like you said, now you've made it clear to me… That, that there are people who want me to die in the Games."

"So you are the famous President's granddaughter?"

Arianna and Tobias turned to see an elderly man with grey hair that was lighter and darker in places. He looked back at them with dark brown eyes that were deeply saddened by the sights that he had seen.

The female tribute nodded. "I'm Arianna Phoenix…"

"Well, this shall be interesting, I'm Prospero, your mentor. You must be Tobias Griffin – it is a pleasure to meet you. I mentored your brother a few years ago…" There was a tremor in his voice and a miserable look slapped across his face. "I loved that boy like he was my own and I didn't think that he would be murdered by the district one girl, only for her to be murdered by some district four boy. There was a part of me that thought I taught her to be better than that. To do what she did-"

"I know what she did Prospero, I watched it happen. I watched everything she did to backstab my brother." Tobias' gaze connected and locked onto Arianna. "Before we get start, I'm willing to get on with you- allies until the end?"

Arianna was about to nod and agree, but her mentor got there first, putting in his two pence.

"The same deal was offered for your brother. She was a temptress and that didn't work out for him. I would think your decision through before you agree." Prospero watched the two tributes, back and forth between them.

"Well, whatever you say…" Tobias leant back in his chair, wondering about his brother and the outcome of their lives.

He debated whether he could kill Arianna if the time came, and then he considered the possibility that she could kill him. To be honest, there could be anyone that would kill the President's granddaughter, but with her relative being who she was, Tobias was sure that Arianna must have undergone vigorous training in the even she was chosen for the Games. He hoped.

"Is it true what they say about you?" Arianna asked, looking at Prospero with wide eyes. "How you were after you won the Games and stayed in the Capitol?"

The district one mentor remained silent, refusing to give an answer at first, but then he gave in.

"The reports are true. I was involved in all sorts of bad things, things that I am not proud of. Alcohol especially. Then there was the prostitution to pay for that alcohol, definitely because of the pure fact that there aren't many people who wouldn't want to sleep with a victor of a Hunger Games…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Arianna noticed Tobias screw up his face a little before looking away from their mentor.

"But I guess you do what you did to survive, right?" Arianna tried to see the brighter side of the mentor's situation. "Prospero?"

His brown orbs stared back at her, amazed by how she had seen the other side of the situation. "Well I suppose I did, yes. So tell me dear girl, what skills do you bring to the table?"

The young girl shrugged her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"What training did your grandmother prepare for you?"

"My grandmother made me train with past victors, including Teresa Manning who won purely on her combat skills. Then I was thrown into the stimulations with the safety on just in case – there, I was able to learn survival skills for myself. Overall, my athleticism and flexibility will give me an edge I suppose, and maybe my knife handling…" When Arianna saw that Tobias was gawping at her, she stopped and shied away.

"Interesting," Prospero replied, nodding a little. "And you, dear boy- a swordsman, like your brother?"

Tobias shook his head. "I'm more of an archer. Accuracy is a strength of mine but maybe it's a weakness of mine when it comes to hand to hand combat."

"Very analytical of yourself… It seems that you may be able to complement one another perfectly." Prospero smiled at his tributes. "Maybe the President's granddaughter will be alright… If I may say so, you will both do well in this Game."

"I hope so," Arianna added timidly. "We can work together… If you want that, Toby?"

Her fellow tribute blinked at the mention of this nickname, no one had ever called him that, apart from his brother, once.

Prospero watched as the girl held her hand out to Tobias. He knew in his heart that the pair could go all the way to the bottom two and nearly win it. This was a decision that they would have to discover for themselves so the elderly mentor sat back and let the following events unfold for themselves.

"I guess so." Tobias shook the girl's hand. "We'll be the careers of District one."

"Pleased to be your ally, I think." Arianna smiled.

After holding their hands for so long, the pair suddenly noticed they were still gripping the other. Laughing nervously, they let go of the other and Arianna felt her cheeks flood with a vibrant red colour.

"Ah, what a delight!" Elina squealed, sitting down beside Tobias. "Tobias and Arianna – the Griffin and the Phoenix…" She spread her hands out to the side, one of them was right in front of the male tribute's face, like she was pitching a promo idea. "United in the glorious games! I like it, no, I love it!" Her high pitch squeal filled the carriage they were sitting in.

"The Capitol will love you!"

**Thought from AspiringWriterGirl = I was overjoyed to get a PM prompting an update for the next chapter of this story, so here it is! Hope you enjoyed it! If you have submitted a character already, why not submit a review? If you haven't submitted a character yet, then why not do both! **


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me (D1Escort-Asherah Isa; D1Mentor-CelticGames4)

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left. Not many tributes left now!

Female tribute –11 only District eleven is left!

Male tribute – 7 and 9

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Just a note – it may take a while to introduce all the characters so please bear with me… :S but I do have a tribute list! I.E everyone who has submitted a tribute, has had their tribute accepted in their initial or back up district

**Chapter 07**

The shuttle arrived at the Capitol late that night. Elina ushered Tobias and Arianna through the crowds of Capitol inhabitants that had clustered to see the President's granddaughter arrive, ready to meet her destiny.

"Come now children, this way!" Elina beamed at the children as she stepped backwards into the lift.

"So this is the Capitol?" Tobias murmured as the lift rose up the wall of the tall building. "Are the other tributes here?"

The old mentor was able to inform the tribute of his competitors. "The other careers from district two left a little earlier than we did, so they are already here and settled. You can only be grateful for the time we arrived in that the crowds were not larger than what we saw outside, because in the morning, they will be. Arianna, you must make your allies quickly. Whilst you are both competent fighters, you need to ally the strongest tributes… Parents of these tributes will have already poisoned their children's minds over the distraught that the President- your grandmother- has caused. So you must act quickly."

Elina rolled her eyes at the elderly mentor as the doors opened into the district one penthouse. "This will be your home for now. If we tune into the broadcast, then we might be able to find out more about your fellow tributes."

Arianna was eager to sit down on the plush sofa and watch the broadcast. She saw images of herself and Tobias at the reaping in district one, followed by an interview with her grandmother.

The president kept a stern face as she gave a statement regarding the reaping of her granddaughter.

"_I am aware that my granddaughter has been chosen to participate in this year's Hunger Games. She will go into the arena and I will do nothing to stop her from entering it. If people wish to sponsor Arianna Phoenix, then they are welcome to, and I will not be biased towards her either. She-" Phoenix paused momentarily. "She is merely another tribute in the Games." _

Arianna wiped a tear off her face and flinched when she felt a hand hold her own. "Toby?" she whispered calmly, throwing her arms around him and sobbing into his shoulder.

"Children – the stylists request that you attend you priming appointment ahead of schedule. By me, I moved your schedule up. We need as much time to sort out training and tactics as possible. Let the primping, styling, waxing and deep clean start. You'll feel like brand new people when you come out. I always love having these treatments whenever I'm in the Capitol, but I have to be a little intoxicated to numb the pain." She started to laugh uncontrollably as she stepped into the lift.

"I've heard about this…" Toby mumbled. "See you on the allegedly more beautiful side."

"You don't need any changes done to you…" Arianna whispered, not thinking about what it was she was actually saying, so she ran into the now empty lift.

When she got out, she was led to the 'salon' by a young looking girl who had hair the colour of a burning blaze and eyes that were the colour of a vast ocean. Whilst the girl and Arianna made no effort to make conversation, the tribute was eager to get it over and done with.

The process was excruciatingly painful and Arianna's body had been stripped of any hair that was deemed disgusting by the Capitol. Which was a lot for her. When a mirror was held in front of her face, she didn't recognise herself- it wasn't her. The Capitol's stylist even went as far as to give her sea blue contact lenses to cover up the dull grey of her own eye colour, telling her that they'll make her more 'likable'. There was a point during her appointment where Arianna saw the district two girl watching her, and wave.

At least someone was being a little welcoming to her.

The next morning, Arianna awoke sharing a bed with her fellow tribute, which shocked her. It may have been his bed, but she knew that she shouldn't have been there. She felt mortified at the fact that Elina or even Prospero would find out or know about it. Tobias was fast asleep and Arianna took her chance to sneak back into her own bed before anyone realised that she was missing.

Stepping out of Tobias' room in the fresh laundered silk pyjamas that she had ben gifted by the Capitol, Arianna froze as she saw Prospero sitting on the sofa watching the broadcast. It was yet another interview with Phoenix, accompanied by the main Gamemaker Arianna recognised as Fox.

"I hear you saw Miss Cora Belrose yesterday during your appointment, what did you make of her?" he asked the youngster.

"She's a fighter. Confident, which makes me feel as though she won't like being upstaged. I really think she's likely to be a strong ally, but I'm keen to know more about the boy, what was his name, Anthony, Anthony Xerxes or something?" Arianna flicked through the channels and found a photo of Anthony as the two commentators spoke about the tributes. "Him… Though he's younger than me, I think it's worth keeping the children who have been professionally trained on my side if I can help it."

"Well, you're certainly showing that you don't need much of my help," Prospero said, pulling a metallic hip flask from the inside pocket of his blazer and taking a large swig. Before putting it back in his pocket, he offered it to Arianna. "You might not get to try alcohol before you go into the Games…"

Arianna nodded a little, biting down on her lip as she reached out hesitantly for the flask.

"Miss Phoenix – you will not take a sip from that flask!" Elina screeched in a sudden fury. "Because that is alcohol of the poorest quality, and even if you are the President's granddaughter, and you might not get to, but because you are underage and it is illegal. Come with me now, Ms Teresa would like to talk to you." Elina's hand flittered about the air as she beckoned the tribute over.

When the lift doors opened at the bottom of the accommodation tower, Arianna noticed that Cora was also heading towards the training room.

"Cora, Cora Belrose… Cora!" she called out, running towards her fellow tribute.

"Oh, hello?" Cora said, turning around to look over her shoulder at Arianna for a second. "So you're the President's granddaughter?"

"Well yeah, but I was thinking. Seeing as you are going to the training room, why don't we go together? Past victor Teresa Manning is meeting me there so I thought perhaps you would like to train with us?"

"You're kidding, right? Teresa, she's- she's like my idol! I love her! Her game was the first game I can remember watching, I almost love her more than I love chocolate covered strawberries!" She linked arms with the district one girl and skipped towards the training room. "This training session is going to be amazing! I never thought I would ever get to train with **the **Teresa Manning, okay Cora, stay calm."

Arianna felt a wave of relief at the other girl's enthusiasm, realising that it was likely that the pair would become close allies if she allowed Cora to participate whenever she was training with Teresa, but this came at a price because there was a chance that Cora was just putting up a front and just wanted to see what Arianna was capable thanks to her training.

But this was just all the risk that the Games would present Arianna with, and she was going to have to make some difficult choices over the next few weeks. This was only the beginning.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Thank you to everyone for reading this new chapter, so what do you think? We've met Cora, who belongs to xxbookwormmockingjayxx – just one of many characters that will be encountered in this story but thank you again, and again for your support**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me (D1Escort-Asherah Isa; D1Mentor-CelticGames4; D2Female- xxbookwormmockingjayxx)

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left. One tribute left! Plenty of mentors and escorts left

NO MORE FEMALE TRIBUTES

A 12 YEAR OLD DISTRICT NINE MALE TRIBUTE

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Just a note – it may take a while to introduce all the characters so please bear with me… :S but I do have a tribute list! I.E everyone who has submitted a tribute, has had their tribute accepted in their initial or back up district

**Chapter 08**

Whilst seventeen year old Arianna was able to get on well with sixteen year old district two tribute Cora Belrose, she struggled to get on with the male tribute of the second district. Fourteen year old Anthony Xerxes.

He was ruthless and showed no emotion towards her, which only made it harder for Arianna, and even Tobias make a connection with him. The only information that the first district tributes could gain from him had been extracted from the interviews between Fox, Sphinx and Siren. Fourteen year old Anthony Xerxes had been training for nearly ten years alongside his baby brother.

Toby, Arianna and Cora had not seen Anthony train at all – there was a rumour from the district two mentor that Anthony chose to train when everyone had gone to sleep so that no one would see him train.

"Toby!" Arianna exclaimed, running into the penthouse suite that district one had been allocated. "The tributes from district three and four have arrived, we should go and meet them!"

The eighteen year old shrugged his shoulders, keeping his eyes on the book he was reading. "I'm not so sure- they might not want to meet you… You were lucky that Teresa Manning was Cora's idol, but you can't buy the next tribute's to be your ally. Besides, Leui Bonnet and Alice Bolt of district three both hate the Capitol, meaning you won't be top of their list of allies. Then there's a boy about your age from district four- again, doesn't quite like the Capitol, but he's a flirt and you might be able to get to know him that way. Sierra on the other hand seems to be your next likeliest ally."

"You've got it all planned out, haven't you?" Arianna asked, before moving towards the sofa that Toby was sitting comfortably at. "About what happened last week-"

"What?" Toby replied, slowly closing his book. "It was better than the first time…"

"Toby! Don't say things like that! Prospero, or Elina might hear…"

"It was no more than a month ago. The day after you came back from the Capitol. Teagan saw me leave, but promised not to say anything. But if we die, then at least we won't have been missing out on things that you and I would do when we were older." Toby paused, caught up in the moment. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I- I'm glad that we're friends," Arianna mumbled, sitting down beside her first and strongest ally.

Toby took her hands. "We're more than friends, Arianna… I love you."

"What?" Arianna asked, eager for him to repeat what he had just said. "Did you just say?"

"Yes… I love you." Toby's hand caressed her cheek, cradling it gently. "The possibility of death is enough for me to realise it. I've only ever loved one person before you, and she didn't love me back…"

Someone coming into the penthouse put a barrier between the two tributes. Like when a child tries to put two north poles of separate magnets together, but they slip and slide to stay away from one another.

"Tobias, Arianna- more tributes have been reaped, and more have arrived. There's also the possibility of an interview happening for the pair of you with the Horatio Sphinx and Thalia Siren – what an honour!" Elina smiled, looking back and forth between the two tributes. "What is going on here?"

"Nothing. I just wanted for both of us to analyse the third and fourth district tributes. So that we can hatch a plan together." Arianna was keen on keeping as many allies as she possibly could, because she knew that Tobias could find himself even closer and greater allies. "Right, Toby?"

"I guess…"

"Well, well, well. The Phoenix herself has risen from the ashes and requested a meeting with you both, individually…" Elina added like it was nothing.

"My grandmother wants to see me- I mean, us?"

Arianna glanced at Toby with a look of terror, but together, they walked into the lift that took them down to the lobby of the skyscraper. Stepping out, they noticed a boy running through the lobby, creating a mess and screaming about how he was going to ruin the Capitol and slaughter the Phoenix's granddaughter. Arianna's hand rose to her throat in fear, but Toby was quick to react and pulled her away through the bustle of Avox girls and boys trying to tidy up the mess.

"You see what I mean? There are going to be people who want you dead, and people you could make your allies." Toby led the girl to the transport vehicle that would take them to President Phoenix's tower. "He's obviously someone to steer clear of. Leui Bonnet…"

"Will you be my ally?" Arianna asked slowly.

"Of course, I would put myself in front of a thousand arrows if it meant that you would survive." Toby edged a little closer to his companion once the transport moved away. "What do you think that your grandmother- I mean, the President, want to have a chat with you and me about?"

"I don't know… She will most likely want you to put your life on the line for me."

"She doesn't need to have a private chat with me about that, because I'm already in that frame of mind."

"Stop it- you wouldn't allow someone to kill yourself just because of me." Arianna waved her hand through the air. "I haven't seen her in so long."

Arianna worried about seeing her grandmother – knowing that there was a possibility that the youngster would die in less than a year. She felt her palms going sweaty, and her heart began to pound her ribcage as the transport vehicle came to a slow stop. Preparing themselves, the pair were eventually escorted through to the office where the President was waiting for them. She called her granddaughter forward in a way that a teacher would give the final warning to the trouble maker.

"Grandmother…" The youngster gawped at her only remaining family member.

"Arianna, come here." Phoenix held her arms out to her granddaughter.

The two embraced so tightly. It was the elder one that pulled away. "Elina tells me you have settled well in the district one penthouse suite and have been attending sessions with Teresa Manning alongside the district two career… Is she a worthy enough ally?"

Arianna slowly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. She's knowledgeable. But I don't think I'll make many allies."

"That boy from your district seems infatuated with you… I remember Teagan told me last year that you and he shared a kiss. He is a strong contender, even stronger than his brother. I believed that boy would win."

"Toby is my friend, grandma- he and I are going to be a strong pair…" Arianna stuttered, trying to sound convincing.

"Well I would not be so sure about that if I were you. Leui Bonnet of district three has vowed vengeance against the Capitol and has already recruited the night-trainer Anthony Xerxes – the two are strong apart, but together… The tributes from districts four, five and six will be arriving later on tonight- if you want my advice, train hard, but keep clear of Leui. You may be in luck with the district four tributes after you stayed with their mentor and escort two years ago. You remember Talisa and Melissa, don't you?"

"Of course! How could I forget them?"

Talisa and Melissa were two incredibly inspirational women who were married as soon as they were sixteen. Arianna Phoenix thought of them as her aunties – she first met Talisa years before when she became the victor at age fourteen and they instantly became friends.

"Well because of your strong friendship and how well they know you, I'm sure that they will have encouraged their two tributes to befriend you and become allies."

"Well that seems to work in my favour…"

"You seem distracted – is something on your mind?" President Phoenix prompted the girl for an honest answer.

Arianna glanced over her shoulder at the door. "It's- it's Tobias- I think… Well he said it first, and I think I feel the same way too. Grandma, I think I love him…"

President Phoenix fell instantly silent. "No Arianna- you don't love the boy. The boy is only your ally until you kill him. And you can do that after he takes out the strongest tributes- maybe they'll kill him in the process."

"Grandma!" Arianna squealed. "Please don't talk about him like that – he is so kind, caring and gentle-"

"Boys who are kind, caring and gentle do not make good killers. He is not worth your time, darling. Stop this ludicrous romance that you have you going on. That gentleman will only break your heart and then kill you whilst you sleep."

"But Grandma!" Arianna gasped. "You didn't like it when my parents fell in love, and you didn't like it when they had me, but-"

The grandmother gripped the youngster's wrist. "Are you trying to tell me that you are going to have a child? Even as you go in to the Games that will kill you?"

"No- of course not! No!" Arianna realised that she wasn't really one hundred per cent positive if she was or wasn't.

"There's a chance, isn't there?"

"No!"

"Stop it- I want you to leave now!" Phoenix shoved the girl out into the corrido before shouting for the male tribute from district one into the room.

Arianna waited outside for Toby to come back out again, but when he did, he remained silent and refused to give away what their conversation had been about…

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Bet this was pretty predictable, but I'm keen to get on one more chapter consisting of the other tributes arriving, and then we'll get onto the ceremony stuff. Let me know what you thought of this chapter **


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President belongs to me (D1Escort-Asherah Isa; D1Mentor-CelticGames4; D2Female- xxbookwormmockingjayxx)

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: If you have submitted a character, they have been accepted into either your district or back up district, but here's a quick summary of the spaces I have left. One tribute left! Plenty of mentors and escorts left

A 12 YEAR OLD DISTRICT NINE MALE TRIBUTE

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Just a note – it may take a while to introduce all the characters so please bear with me… :S but I do have a tribute list! I.E everyone who has submitted a tribute, has had their tribute accepted in their initial or back up district – get in touch if you want to know about your character!

**Chapter 09**

"Tobias- are you okay?" Arianna asked on the way back to the penthouse suite. "Have I done something wrong?"

The guy shook his head slowly. "Nothing – I just have to prepare myself for the Opening Ceremony. And so do you."

"What needs preparing?"

"Us – we need to know how we are going to present ourselves. So any ideas?"

"Well, let's see what Elina thinks – I'm pretty sure that she'll have some big elaborate plan as to what's going to happen, don't you?"

Tobias nodded. "You have a point."

Arianna couldn't shake the feeling that her grandmother had told Tobias not to engage with her in any way, shape, or form. Other than to protect her. "Can you tell me what my grandmother told or asked you? You seem to be acting weird, and totally different from the guy that told me he loved me only this morning."

"Well, I can't tell you, until later. It's not important anyway…"

"You liar!" Arianna sighed, pushing Tobias' shoulder back a little. "Please tell me."

Before Tobias could answer, the shuttle came to a stop outside the main building. It was a tense atmosphere, with some tributes arriving from the fourth and fifth districts. The girls glared at Tobias and Arianna, but the older looking guy smiled in a sort of cheeky way at her. Caught a little off guard, Arianna felt her cheeks go bright red. When she saw Tobias looking at her like that, she couldn't help but shy away automatically.

Elina was keen to know what the President Phoenix wanted to see Arianna and Tobias for, but neither child was willing to divulge anything about the meetings.

"Well, you must ready yourselves for the upcoming opening ceremony at the end of the next week, we need to be ready for when the other tributes arrive. In the meantime, I want you to work on the district four tributes, Sierra and Dathan. Whether you befriend them directly, or you want to use your friendship with Melissa and Talisa, I think it should be done…" Elina smiled, fixing a piece of hair back into place.

Prospero looked over his shoulder and frowned at the escort. "It seems that the escort makes a better mentor… Do you care to swap roles? I've always wanted to know what it's like to wear those extravagant outfits."

Elina couldn't tell if the elderly mentor was joking or not. "Ha, well I don't think we're quite the same size, Prospero…"

"Regardless," Prospero replied, with a warning tone. "Arianna, are you ready to scope out your competition?"

"What – you mean Sierra and Dathan? Yeah, Toby and I saw them in the lobby. He smiled at me in this dreamy way that captivated me. I think he's a strong contender." Arianna couldn't help but smile, which slightly irritated her partner tribute.

"Wait? So he smiles at you and then you think he must be the almighty being…" Toby rolled his eyes. "Arianna, he's trouble. He's going to manipulate you and everyone else who thinks that he is worth befriending."

"Toby- that's unfair…" Arianna protested feebly.

"Sorry, you're right," Toby murmured, walking towards her, but then stepping to one side. "Are you coming?" He stood in the lift with an arm extended over the doors.

"Yeah," the president's granddaughter hesitantly replied, walking towards the lift. "We'll bring back some more allies, Prosper. Don't worry."

The lift doors closed, giving Arianna an opportunity to press Toby for answers.

"What did she say to you?"

Toby shook his head, remaining completely silent. "It's not important."

Picking up his hand, the young girl squeezed it. "But it is to me. Please tell me."

"She- she. The President Phoenix told me that I should protect you-"

"Yes, and you said you would. You said you were willing to die for me, remember?"

"I know, but she said other stuff too. Your grandmother said, she wanted me to do something for you. So I can't say what it is."

"Can we go back to how we were before our meetings with my grandmother? I liked that relationship better than this…" Arianna wiped her face and turned away from the boy, looking out towards the other buildings of the Capitol. "I always forget what beauty the Capitol can offer. So what's the plan with Sierra and Dathan?"

"Well you seem to be getting on alright with Dathan-"

"What do you mean by that?" Arianna snapped, wiping around furiously.

"I saw that look you gave him and he gave you, that's all. It made me feel so small and insignificant."

"Toby…"

The lift doors opened, forcing the pair to take a moment to compose themselves.

"I mean it, I love you, Toby. No amount of peculiar looks from some random guy from a fishing district is going to get in the way of how I feel about you."

"Really?"

"Really really." Arianna linked her smallest finger with Toby's. "Come on, let's go to the training room."

The district one tributes walked towards the training room, nearly surrounded by a small group of Avox girls. In the training room, the district four tributes were nowhere to be seen, but the district two and three tributes were present.

Cora and Antony, along with Alice and Leui.

Alice and Leui seemed to not be getting along with one another, mainly because the two boys were getting on and sharing little bits and pieces with one another.

Cora smiled when she saw Arianna and rushed to the girl's side. "Aria- I'm so glad you're here, because it's been incredibly boring. You must be Toby, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Tobias said, nodding slowly. He looked around the area trying to figure out what to do. "I'm going to go and train with the bow and arrow. See you around Arianna."

"Bye Toby…" Arianna turned to Cora. "It's a shame we can't practice combat skills on each other. I could do with actually training against someone other than a peacekeeper to spar with."

Cora seemed a little uncertain. "I suppose you have a point. Toby seems like a nice guy, what's the deal with you two?"

"Deal? Well, we get on really well, and he's agreed to be my ally so I suppose everything is good between us." Arianna shivered, holding her arms tightly.

"Oh that's not what I meant, Aria. Toby hasn't stopped looking at you since he went to train at the archery stand. I think there's a little bit of romance on the table if I know you enough."

Arianna blushed, "No. I don't think so, I barely even know him…"

The doors behind them opened, and in walked Dathan and Sierra. Sierra glared at Arianna once again, with an even dirtier look than she had given the night before. Dathan smiled.

"You must be Arianna, the granddaughter of the President. I've heard a lot about you, more from Melissa and Talisa."

"How are they?" Arianna asked, wanting to know exactly how they were. "I haven't seen them in ages." She explained to Cora how she used to stay with the mentor and escort of district four.

"Well they speak highly of you and your survival skills. I really ought to see what you're capable of."

"You go first though. I hear you're skilled with a spear, you must have good accuracy."

Dathan leaned in closer so that he could whisper into Arianna's ear. "I have good accuracy, but I want people to suffer in these games, so I might just miss on purpose."

The young girl froze, unable to contend with the words that had been whispered into her ear. "You don't mean that… Do you?"

"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't…"

Arianna looked around, seeing that it was just herself, Dathan and Toby in the training room. She stepped away from Dathan, knocking over a small metal table.

"Oh, don't tell me I've spooked you now." Dathan started to laugh. "Now that's not nice…"

"Looks like the party's about to start!" another girl exclaimed, walking into the room with a younger boy. "I'm Briana, and it looks like you're the President Phoenix's granddaughter. Fancy meeting you here… And the Griffin is here too."

"The Phoenix and the Griffin…" the boy muttered.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = More tributes are arriving, and more chances for allegiances to form, as well as divisions between tributes and districts**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President, Arianna and Tobias belong to me and any tributes belong to the representative writer.

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: Plenty of mentors and escorts left

All female and male tributes have been filled!

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

STYLIST – I would love it if someone would like to make a stylist for the district one tributes, Arianna and Tobias

*Should you be unhappy about any way in which your character has been portrayed, or something that they do, then PM me in our chat thread and hopefully I'll be able to sort it out

**Chapter 10**

Briana Hemney looked Arianna up and down, judging everything about the girl, from the way she looked, to the way that she stood. "Hmm… Not very strong. You're supposed to be the granddaughter of Panem's President. Some tribute you turned out to be."

Arianna was about to retaliate, but she began to notice the range of looks being sent her way. Her companion, Tobias, said 'don't rise to it, she's looking for trouble,' Dathan said 'go on, fight back' and Cora's look said 'she's bigger than you, be careful.' She decided to turn away and focus on a station about plants and botanical studies – about what you should and shouldn't eat.

Dathan was beside her in minutes. "What's up, kid? You look miserable."

"Kid- you're one to talk, blondie…" Arianna mumbled, trying not to flirt with Dathan after the jealousy that was expressed to her by Tobias.

"What are you saying about my hair?" He ran a hand through his hand and then flexed his arms, showing off his muscles to Arianna. "Don't worry, you can look, I won't bite…"

"Quit it, Dath." A switch turned on in Arianna's stomach and as she felt something bubbling up inside of her, she knew she had to get to the toilets on the other side of the training room. With her hands cupped over her mouth, she sprinted for the door to the toilets. Arianna fell to the floor beside the toilet and the training room was filled with the sound of her emptying the contents of her stomach into the bowl. Not pleasant.

Cora was first to go to the toilets. "Aria- are you okay?" she asked, knocking gently on the door.

"I'm fine… I'm fine, maybe it was something that I ate," Arianna said, picking the first thing that came to mind that would make her throw up, but not be what she felt that it might be. "It's fine, Cora. Really. I just need to sleep it off."

"If you're sure…" Cora murmured, folding her arms and staying by the door. "Shall I get an Avox girl to take you to your penthouse suite?"

"Yeah. Please, Cora." Arianna waited for Cora to leave and then slowly stood up. "This is not good…" In her heart, she wondered whether what her grandmother had asked her could be true. "No…"

This was a good thing in a way for Arianna – in terms of the fact that if she was pregnant, then that would mean that she and Toby would be united, but she was about to go into the deathly games – the timing couldn't have been any worse. As Arianna stepped outside of the toilet cubicle, she found an Avox girl waiting for her with a jacket over her arms. The young fire haired girl held out the jacket, but Arianna declined as she felt a searing heat in her body. Being led back to the penthouse suite after barely completing any training seemed risky to the other tributes.

Thoughts riddled her mind with how she was going to cope if she really was pregnant. There was the Hunger Games, there was the interviews with Roman Greywolf, the training sessions as twenty tributes, the opening ceremony and even the interview with the famous Sphinx and Siren. Somehow, Arianna was going to have to get through all of this without implying or saying that she was – if she was…

Back in the penthouse suite, Elina was eager to fuss over the tribute – insisting that an aroma of scents would be displayed in the room, and that she be given the healing ambrosia from this specific vendor that the escort would always use.

"You child, are going to need to get better. The interview is just a day away, and the journey is only going to get worse later on." Elina listed off the exact same things that had been plaguing Arianna's mind. "Now rest, Arianna and perhaps you will feel more like yourself in due time."

When Arianna woke up, she found Toby sleeping peacefully beside her. For a while, she just lay there and watched him sleep. There was a knock at the door, sending panic through her veins.

"Toby," she whispered, shaking the boy awake. "Someone's at the door…"

Even though Toby's eyes were opened, it took him a moment to process what was happening. Before he even had enough time to get out the bed, the door opened.

Elina stood in the doorway, lost for words. "What is the meaning of this?! Explain yourselves, the pair of you, right now." She took a deep breath as she tried to remain calm. "I want answers."

Arianna's mouth quivered as Tobias stood up, climbing out the bed. He was wearing only a pair of soft cotton trousers, so Elina was drawing her conclusion. "It's okay, Elina. It's okay…"

"No- nothing about this is okay. You are both tributes of the first district – in this place, you are meant to be Careers. You're supposed to be professional – none of this is at all professional. Arianna…"

"Leave me alone, Elina! Get out!" Arianna squealed, shutting the door in the escort's face. "Oh no. No, no, no… She knows, she knows."

"Breath Arianna, she knows that we were in a room together – just an innocent occurrence. It was only going to come out eventually." Toby smiled and went towards the door. "Come on, she'll want a proper explanation."

"You really think that's a good idea, Toby?" the seventeen year old girl stammered, struggling to remain calm. "This is a big deal."

"What's the big deal? I love you, and you love me. What more is there to know?" Toby's smile grew and grew as his companion's cheeks began to blush with a rose pink colour. "Are you okay, Ari?"

"Ari? Since when did you call me Ari?"

"Since just now… Is that okay with you?" Toby crawled onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Arianna, holding her close. "I really do love you."

"There's something I need to tell you…" she said calmly.

"What is it – you know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

Arianna bit her lip. "I think there's a chance, a chance that- that we might be having a baby." She lowered his hand to rest around her stomach. "A little Griffin baby."

"Are you serious?" Toby had no idea to react – he was elated at the prospect of starting a family, but the games were no place for a potentially pregnant. "Then we have to find out for sure. They might be able to pardon you- your grandmother, she'll want to make sure that her great-grandchild and granddaughter survive the games." What Toby said meant that he had sentenced himself to death. If Arianna and their possible unborn child were to survive, then he would have to be eliminated as a tribute.

"I'll talk to Elina, tell her and Prospero the truth- as much as I feel awkward at the prospect of telling Prosper, he's our mentor and he needs to know." Arianna grimaced a little. "You go train and see if we can recruit any more tributes, because if Leui and Anthony are targeting other strong contenders, then we need to up our game as well." She leant against the wall. "I want to help you, but I just feel so weak."

"Don't worry, go and see a doctor or something. I'll take care of the other tributes." Toby kissed her cheek before leaving her room.

It took Elina and Prospero a while to deal and truly understand the situation that they had been presented with, but they accepted it and organised an appointment within the hour. Arianna wanted nothing more than for Tobias to be there with her, but he needed to be at the training facility. To gather intel and more information about the other tributes.

Cora was a clear ally towards Arianna and Toby, unlike Anthony and the district three tributes, Leui and Alice. Dathan was a flirt, but Arianna felt that with more work, he could be a strong ally. Sierra was confusing towards the pair – she was nice to the pair, friendly too, but she was also somewhat distant with them.

As Arianna lay on the hospital bed, wearing a pale cream hospital gown. She felt so vulnerable as she lay still, but in a way, it felt like the preparation process – except hopefully it wouldn't require as much pain to find out. The doctor who came in was specifically blind and transported in from the tenth district as Elina requested.

"Hello there, my young patient…" the blind doctor said. She smiled in Arianna's direction.

Elina hovered beside Arianna's bed. "Come on, doctor, let's have a projection scan to see if there's anything we need to know about." The escort frowned at Arianna's slightly bloated stomach, wondering whether it was a baby, or speedy eating.

The doctor carried on just working away, picking up a variety of different contraptions. "My niece- she just got reaped. I worry about here… She's – she's blind like I am. Somehow, I don't think a blind girl can survive in the games." She continued to talk as the examination continued, followed by the scan.

Arianna was pregnant, over three months pregnant.

Elina didn't hesitate in rushing the girl back to the penthouse suite. "We will have to get rid of it!" she squeaked angrily. "It's bad enough that you're the granddaughter of the president, and now you're the pregnant seventeen year old granddaughter of the president. What were you thinking?"

"I don't want to get rid of it…" Arianna whispered once the argument had died down. "No."

"Arianna! That is a preposterous statement- you're… You're just not thinking straight."

Prospero glanced at the two from across the suite. "Elina. If the girl doesn't want to terminate it, then we will not force her to. As long as she is aware that this is going to be a lot harder than she thinks. Now, we need to discuss how we are going to get around this. Do we come out with it and tell Panem that she is with child? Or do we hide it and watch the world wonder about the blossoming stomach?"

Elina was once again left speechless. "I need to have a lie down," she said, slapping a hand to her forehead.

"How are you, Arianna? It seems that few people are actually asking how you are…" Prosper quickly sat down beside her. "And honestly…"

"I'm- Prospero, I'm terrified. I don't want to die. Life and living means everything to me- but I'm quickly realising that Toby does too. Toby means so much to me. I want to protest against the Games, but I'm the President's granddaughter – the people will want to see me suffer and die." Arianna watched the elderly mentor debate what to say. "Prospero- I'm miserable. Because I'm now in a position where either I will have to bring a child into the world where I will have to raise it without a father and have to tell them why. Or, I kill the one thing that I love. For all I know, Toby will end up living the rest of his life without me, or our baby… It's a lose, lose situation here…"

"My advice, prepare yourself for the worse- like you say, there is a lot of sadness ahead for you."

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Ah, another chapter out of the way and some more tributes to arrive in the next chapter, hopefully we'll see the tributes from district six and seven arrive – if you have any suggestions or pointers, then do let me know and I'll do my level best to change or add it in in the next chapter! **


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President, Arianna and Tobias belong to me and any tributes belong to the representative writer.

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: Plenty of mentors and escorts left

All female and male tributes have been filled!

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Should you be unhappy about any way in which your character has been portrayed, or something that they do, then PM me in our chat thread and hopefully I'll be able to sort it out

**Chapter 11**

Arianna stared at her reflection in the mirror and was worried about her tummy – people were surely going to notice it unless the stylists were able to hide it. She hoped that she had put a little bit of faith and trust in the people who knew about the little life growing inside of her.

Herself, Toby, Elina, Prospero, the blind doctor of an outer district, but she worried that Cora might suspect something was up when she found Arianna heaving in the training centre toilets.

But today was the day of her and Toby's interview with Horatio Sphinx and Thalia Siren – the two commentators for the games. The interview was meant to solely focus on them as tributes and whether or not the president's granddaughter was prepared to win the games. Ask about Toby. Generic stuff really.

It just meant that the stylist was going to have to be made aware of the pregnancy. Every thought going through Arianna's mind was that she wanted no one else to find out, that she just wanted it to end. If the circumstances had been different, then she would have been ecstatic about having a baby, especially when it was with Toby – the one guy she had met that didn't judge her solely for who her family was.

"Ari- you okay in there? The stylist is here…" Toby asked, knocking on the door to Arianna's room – it was still taking time for the girl to get used to this newfound nickname. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Arianna replied, pulling her top down over her tiny bump that could easily have been mistaken for a bloated stomach. "I don't know if I want to do the interview tonight…"

"Come on Arianna, we need- you need to show everyone that you mean business. It's just what you need to do. Show your grandmother that it doesn't matter what's going on between us, we're still strong contenders. Whether you have a baby growing inside of you." Toby smiled at his companion, taking her hands in his. "Now let's find you a dress to match your eyes. Or you can have a dress as vibrant as a phoenix's wing and I'll have a suit as gold as a griffin."

Arianna squeezed his hand. "The phoenix and the griffin – I can see why Elina is so obsessed with it. It's all she ever talks about, and at first, I didn't like it, but now I do… Especially when it's you and me together."

"Okay, I get the point, but you need to meet your stylist now… He wants to get a good look at his tributes. Oh, and that district four guy was asking how you were- I think you've got another ally… But the tributes from district six and seven have arrived. The boy from district six – I think his name is Kenji or something, he seems to be befriending Maser. Jacqueli, the girl from district six isn't keen on becoming your friend, but Rowena is different because I cannot read her. Maybe she could be a friend, or maybe she will side with Anthony and Leui in bringing down the president's granddaughter. I would say that the boy from district seven could be another ally, but no one has seen him since they arrived, not even Rowena…"

"Thank you for the update – it's a shame there aren't any allies in the mix there. We could so with me seeing as Leui and Anthony are building a strong force against us. I'm just glad that Cora and Dath are on our side… But what I do know and that is something you've told me, that allies are able to turn on us."

Arianna walked out the bedroom after putting on a jumper, the penthouse was cool and calm at the moment.

Then she found herself looking at the stylist.

He stood firmly with one hand on his hip. He had his blonde hair pulled back into a long ponytail which gave his face so much shape and really highlighted his tanned skin that looked almost like a honey bronze colour. The clothes he wore were of such a straight cut that it could have been made not a day ago – so it was clear that this stylist was staying as up to date with the fashion trends as possible. His hand rose to his chin and he stroked the short fair stubble that was beginning to grow after being shaved by the Capitol's finest barber the other week.

"You - you are the embodiment of beauty… The living and breathing remaining relative of the President Phoenix herself, and you boy, you have an impressive jawline. Never have I ever seen such a sharp line that could cut even the most precious jewels of the Capitol. I see, as Elina puts it- the Phoenix and the Griffin!" He grinned enthusiastically before taking Elina's hands. "You are pulling my leg – now come look at the gorgeous suggestions I have for the interviews. They are going to look divine on these two!" The stylist clicked his fingers and an Avox child pulled a rail of clothing closer to the tributes and Elina. "Have a look, at these…"

Arianna smiled at the outfits, but not at the stylist, who hadn't even introduced herself to the tributes – she had just been treated like an object to parade around in whatever outfit he had picked out for them to wear. "I like this one…" she said, delicately grazing the surface of a bronze coloured short dress that puffed out a little bit.

"Oh no, that one will never do." The stylist pursed his lips before tutting. "We need to show off this waist of yours." His hands pressed themselves against Arianna's waist, but then an eyebrow raised. "Oh… Yes, I think that it will have to be that one now then…"

The young girl felt a sharp pain to her heart as if the stylist was saying that she wasn't right to wear the more extravagant dress, but she was able to wear the dress that she wanted to. But her opinion of the stylist was still a negative one. "You know, it's customary for people to introduce themselves first…" she commented sharply.

"Oh, a fire in the girl's throat! I like her, Elina."

"It's Arianna- Arianna Phoenix."

"Don't worry, I know who you are. You don't need to satisfy yourself by shouting it from the penthouse suite. I've known who you are since your grandmother made you public, but for now, you are my subject."

Arianna flinched, looking over at Toby, wondering what to make of the stylist. "I was after your name…"

Elina nudge the girl backwards. "This is your stylist – he's a distant relative of mine, and you will do well to speak politely to him. He is Darwyn, a renowned name in the fashion industry. Your grandmother requested him to take on the challenge of being the stylist for your district. So stop being so rude!"

"Fine…" Arianna took the selected dress over to her room, even though Darwyn insisted on her staying in the room, but Arianna persistently denied the people in the room the 'honour' of watching her undress. It also meant that she could hide the pregnancy from Darwyn – she didn't trust him at all. "How does it look?"

Toby smiled in complete adoration, his mouth open a little. He nodded as if to give his own special seal of approval.

But Darwyn didn't say a word – he just looked at it with a cold, solemn expression. "It doesn't sit right. Does you no favours." He walked towards Arianna. "I thought this would be an easy task, but with such an average chest, and wider waist, there are very little assets that I can enhance. Legs are the only things going for you right now, but heels aren't going to be good when Jawline isn't that tall."

The anger level in Arianna was beginning to build up – she had confidence in the way she looked, but when Darwyn slated it in a matter of minutes, she felt that confidence plummeting to the ground.

Elina tried to defend the tributes, but Darwyn's interest was solely focused on Toby- and slating Arianna's appearance. It was a lost battle.

The interview got closer and closer. Arianna had her dress on, and her makeup was done, complete with thick, long lash extensions that made her eyelids feel heavy. Toby squeezed her hand behind his back, trying to keep any affection subtle. Just in case.

Before the interview, Arianna introduced Toby to Thalia Siren and Horatio Sphinx – pinching him when he couldn't take his eyes off Thalia. Arianna even recognised Leo Fox watching from behind the large cameras that panned around in front of the interview panel, but her grandmother was missing.

"We're on in three, two and one…"

"Hello to all the districts of Panem – I'm Thalia Siren and this is Horatio Sphinx, but today, we are joined by two very important tributes. That's the tributes of district one – Arianna Cornelia Phoenix and Tobias Finn Griffin. Do you mind if we just call you Toby?"

Toby wasn't sure what to say to the commentator beauty – it was a little unexpected. "Uh- yeah, sure…"

"Brilliant. So tell me Arianna, what's it like being the granddaughter of the President when you've been reaped for the Games?"

Arianna pondered her response for a moment. Remain brave, or look terrified. "It's just like being any other tribute in the games, but I'll just have to fight to survive. Just like Toby, and just like all the other tributes."

Sphinx was keen to fire questions. "Yeah, but what is going to set you apart from the other tributes – they're already gathering allies and you've been absent from the training centre, why's that?"

The young girl's eyes darted over to Elina and Prospero for some support, but she could not find them amongst the crowd of broadcasters and assistants.

"She's just been feeling a little under the weather- just an upset stomach, nothing too bad." Toby intervened after Arianna's silence. "But I don't care whether the other tributes are making teams out of this situation, because it's not about teams, it's about your individual performance. Surviving in the games might help with allies, but as we all know, you can't trust everyone, can you?"

It felt like a cold shiver had been sent rippling across the room. No one moved or said anything…

"Well you've certainly got a grasp for the games, Toby…" Thalia commented calmly. "Must be difficult to have lost your brother four years ago when he was just fifteen years old – an expert tribute, it was an honour to watch him perform in the games, I can tell you that."

Arianna knew that whenever someone spoke about Toby's brother that he didn't like it. "But I'm building friends and creating my own team to help me in the games – if the other tributes are going to play games, then so am I. I mean business, and it doesn't matter if I'm the President's granddaughter or anything."

"There have been rumours that your grandmother organised a back up volunteer, should you be reaped – do you have any comments on this?" Sphinx fired back.

"Oh I think that question is best left for my grandmother to answer – but I highly doubt it…"

"What about Teagan then?"

"What about her, Horatio Sphinx?"

"She died, the day before the reaping and you panicked, calling for your grandmother because you knew that Teagan was your back up volunteer. Am I right?"

Overwhelmed, Arianna leapt up from her seat, sending it clattering to the floor. "I don't feel so well…"

"Oh that would be you avoiding the question, wouldn't it?"

Toby immediately got up. "She's not joking around!" As he was moving around his chair, he could only watch as Arianna tried to reach out for something to stop herself from falling. "Arianna!" he shouted as his friend dropped, collapsing on the floor.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = So a little interview in the mix, and our tributes from district six and seven have arrived – more will be there in the next chapter so stay tuned! Can't wait to hear what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President, Arianna and Tobias belong to me and any tributes belong to the representative writer.

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: Plenty of mentors and escorts left

All female and male tributes have been filled!

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Should you be unhappy about any way in which your character has been portrayed, or something that they do, then PM me in our chat thread and hopefully I'll be able to sort it out

**Chapter 12**

The residents of the Capitol in the broadcast room were shocked at the collapse of Arianna. Tobias nearly fell off his chair in an attempt to get to her first.

"Arianna, can you hear me? Arianna…" He squeezed her hand and placed his spare one on her cheek to feel the warmth of it.

Elina reached through the crowd and pulled the boy away, knowing that the cameras were still rolling and she didn't want him to inadvertently say something that would put Arianna in jeopardy. "Come on Tobias – let's leave the doctors to tend to Arianna."

"But, but she needs me… They both need me…"

"Tobias, come away!" Elina snapped more insistently. "Prosper will want to talk to you again. This whole situation is difficult to govern, and I don't know how much more of it that I can take."

A hand grabbed Toby's and pulled him back towards the interview table.

"The interview isn't over, we have to carry on without Miss Phoenix now," a broadcaster whispered in his ear. "Just answer the questions that are put to you and act like what has happened, has not just happened…" The broadcaster turned towards the crew who were on set. "And we are back on again in three, two and one…"

"Hello residents of Panem, welcome back. We apologise for any inconvenience caused in the broadcast process. Miss Phoenix has been taken ill- we will let you know of her condition later on." Horatio Sphinx grinned at the camera. "Now Tobias Griffin, now that she is not here, we can ask the question that's on everyone's mind… Arianna Phoenix- ally or enemy? Friend of foe?"

Toby froze up, how do you answer a question like that in a world like this one? "She's Arianna Phoenix – she's the granddaughter of the President, and I have known her since she was twelve, when her name was first placed in the reaping bowl and she had come to live in the first district. We have both been reaped as the male and female tribute from district one. It's obvious that she would make a strong ally, having been trained by Teresa – and we all know what a fantastic tribute she was."

"I fear you may be avoiding the question a little bit…" Thalia whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Ally, or enemy?"

"She'll be an ally, until- until I no longer need her," Toby replied abruptly, knowing that if Arianna ever heard this, then she would definitely go a little bit crazy. "Does that answer your question?"

"Perfectly," Thalia said slowly, enunciating every syllable. "Talk to us about the other tributes. Cora and Anthony from district two. Alice and Leui of three, Dathan and Sierra, Briana and Maser, Kenji and Jacqueli, Rowena and Salvador… Stitch and Cotton…"

Toby said exactly what came to mind about the tributes. "Well it seems like Cora is a strong ally, but Anthony Xerxes is making a force to be reckoned with, with Leui and Rowena from what I hear. Alice doesn't seem to be making friends with us- any of us. Sierra is quiet when she trains. Maser and Kenji are secretive between one another. Briana tends to observe us training- as does Jacqueli as I've never seen her train, but she is always watching us. Salvador seems cool. I don't know who Cotton and Stitch are though…"

"They are the tributes of district eight. Oh Tobias, you've missed out Dathan, don't you like your rival?" Horatio smirked at the district one male tribute.

"Well, he's very headstrong and full on at times. He's certainly building a strong connection with Arianna, and I cannot do anything about that but just keep my opinions closely to myself."

A sharp look from Elina made Toby feel as though he was stepping on egg shells and needed to avoid this area of conversation. He trusted Arianna, but he didn't trust Dathan- regardless of her connection with the district four mentor and escort, Melissa and Talisa.

The interview dragged on, and afterwards, Toby refused to go anywhere except the private hospital room where Arianna was being kept. Doctors had been given supplies of her blood and were told to run tests on it and deliver the results back to Elina and Prospero. Darwyn was sat in a chair to the side of Arianna's bed.

"Aria-" Toby went over to her side and squeezed her hand. "Are you alri-"

Darwyn gasped in the most over exaggerated manner. "Elina- you better start explaining to me what this whole thing is here?" He gestured the pair. "Because there have not and will not be a love pair in the Hunger Games, so tell me this is not what I think it is." His eyes widened. "He's got her pregnant! I can tell it from the look in your eyes, Elina!"

Elina was utterly flustered and caught up in the moment. "That is not the case! This does not concern you Darwyn, it's not relevant right now."

The stylist was keen to get the information. "Oh no you don't Elina, I know your game and I will not stand by whilst everything going on concerns me and my designs for a pregnant girl."

"Don't raise your voice at me, Darwyn."

Toby looked back and forth between the escort and stylist, wondering who was going to crack.

"To-by?" he heard Arianna say. "Toby?"

"Aria, don't move too much… How are you feeling?" He squeezed her hand tightly.

"I remember the interview, and then they asked a question about Teagan- I think I fell over. Is everything okay?" She glanced about awkwardly. "Toby?"

"It's okay, we are awaiting a doctor to come in- it's someone close to me. A family friend who specialises in medicine and can be a confidant for us. I trust her so it's all going to be just fine. Regardless of what fancypants says or does…"

Fancypants was the name that Arianna had given to Darwyn in a fit of anger, and Toby couldn't help but laugh and make the name stick.

"Toby…" Arianna squeaked awkwardly. "Don't call him that."

Elina answered a gentle knock at the door and in stepped a mature looking woman wearing a white coat that draped down around her feet. The lady hugged Toby and then glanced over in Arianna's direction.

"I'm going to need to do some physical examinations on the stomach and genital areas before we do an ultrasound- now let's get that tummy out, missy…" She helped Arianna expose her bump before pressing her hands in various positions around the skin. "Seems, normal. No abnormalities at a touch…" she murmured to herself.

"Ok…" Arianna whispered, wincing at the slightly harder than necessary pressure that was being applying to her small bump. She was dreading any form of examination, but if it meant that she found out that the baby was okay, then it was worth enduring. Part of her just wished that this situation never came to become public knowledge of the districts of Panem.

Even if the more people that found out, meant the higher risk of it slipping out.

And Arianna was right. The next morning, it was being broadcasted for everyone to see.

The granddaughter of the President was carrying a child, and someone had let it slip. As soon as Arianna found out, she suspected the woman who examined her. She was the only one.

"She did it!" Arianna shouted at Toby standing in the doorway. "You said you trusted her!"

"I do!" he replied in a calm but stressed manner. "Elina, Prospero and Darwyn want to see you now, come on…"

Arianna stared at the three adults that were in charge of her for the preparation of the games. "Why did she do this?"

Prospero nodded. "It's unexplainable as to why she would do what she did, but the actions are done and it isn't fair to point the finger when it could have been any one of us as well…"

"Please tell me this wasn't you because it was one of your survival techniques in order to get more sponsors, Prosper?" Arianna looked pleadingly at the elderly mentor, hoping the answer was no.

The screen that had been mounted onto the wall switched on and displayed Siren and Sphinx about to start their broadcast.

"Good morning districts of Panem, we'd like to welcome our tributes from district one to nine- particularly Rae and Richard who arrived only this morning. Hello, and have we got news for you!"

"That's right Thalia, and it turns out that you weren't the only one to enter motherhood this year. It seems that the President Phoenix's granddaughter, Arianna, is also with child. Sources have confirmed this and after such a catastrophic interview last night with the young girl and Tobias Griffin, it's no wonder that the youngster was distraught as medics carried Miss Phoenix away."

"But was it all just a mistake? I mean, if we listen to what Tobias said yesterday, it's safe to say that he is clearly not the father… Let's listen to it again."

"_She'll be an ally, until. I no longer need her… Does that answer your question?"_

Arianna listened to Toby's harsh sounding voice, regardless of the edited software that cut out his uncertain repetition and worried looks. She wasn't to know. Her hands cupped over her mouth as a lump bulged in her throat sending tears down her cheeks. Inside her chest, she could feel her heart cracking into a hundred pieces as Toby tried to apologise and make everything better.

But it wasn't something that he could take back so easily when the evidence was right there, staring them in the face…

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I had to bring the truth out and I'm gradually bringing the characters in. We're up to district nine so far and I'm looking to add district ten in the next chapter – hope you are enjoying the story so far **


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President, Arianna and Tobias belong to me and any tributes belong to the representative writer.

A/N: Another way of submissions, thank you – in case you want to submit a character, I've put the tribute and mentor/escort/stylist submission form on my profile.

Spaces left: Plenty of mentors and escorts left

All female and male tributes have been filled!

Mentor – (any except 1, 4, 10 and 11)

Escort – (any except 1, 4 and 12)

*Should you be unhappy about any way in which your character has been portrayed, or something that they do, then PM me in our chat thread and hopefully I'll be able to sort it out

**Chapter 13**

_She'll be an ally, until- until I no longer need her…_

Those words echoed in Arianna's mind as she stormed away to the training room. Awkwardly enough, there was no one else there. She set about studying the plants that were displaying on the table and zoomed in on their finer details. Botany and archaeology were her true passions – she could have concentrated her energy on something else, but all she wanted to do was focus on something she loved. As Arianna glanced across the screen, she concentrated on targeting some of them had the tiniest of differences of which could mean a matter of life and death. Nightlock berries were famous for being mistaken for another berry in the Games, many children had died in situations that could have been avoided.

"Hello?" a sweet voice asked from the next station over. The fire starting station. "Is someone there?"

Arianna looked over the table to see a small girl facing away from her. The girl had long, straggly dark hair that draped limply down her back past her shoulder blades which stuck out like two mountains. Her back was arched as if she was alert and listening hard.

"I can hear you breathing…"

"Yes, I'm here," Arianna calmly said.

"Who are you?" The girl slowly pivoted on her knees.

"My name's Arianna."

"The President's granddaughter – well my name is Tierza, Tierza Mae. I'm the tribute from district ten."

"Nice to, nice to meet you Tierza…" Feeling awkward at the fact that this tribute was clearly blind, Arianna's attention dropped to the plants again, pulling up projections and holograms of each one so that she could inspect each one closer.

A delicate hand pushed through the hologram, making Arianna step back cautiously.

"I need your help, Arianna. A favour… Meet me in the toilets."

_The toilets? This could be a risky strategy. But she's blind, what would the harm be? _

Arianna deeply debated her next move, as to why the other girl would want. The toilets in the training centre was the only place that wasn't manned by Peacekeepers- or even Avox girls.

Going over to the toilets, Arianna pushed the door sharply. When she saw that the girl was staring blankly into the mirror, Arianna instantly relaxed.

"Tierza?" Arianna murmured.

The blind youngster turned around with a small dagger in her hand. "Don't go!" she whimpered, reaching out with her spare hand. "You can let go of the door handle, I won't hurt you…"

Arianna's hand released the handle, but her heart was racing due to the other girl's surprisingly unpredictable nature. "What are you doing, Tierza?"

"I need to be honest with you… Being- being blind, and and, and being in the arena. It's a combination that I won't be able to come out on top of."

Something clicked in Arianna's head. "No," she said bluntly, shaking her head. "I'm not going to kill you in the toilets so that you don't have to go into the games."

Tierza was shocked by the older girl's sharp tongue. "If you won't do it, I can- I will find someone who can." She shuffled towards the door, concealing the dagger in her boot, but her way was blocked by Arianna's outstretched arm. Her nose twitched as she caught an aroma of rose petals and blossoms that probably only grew in the President's botanical gardens.

"That's not how to survive and you know it." Arianna let out a deep sigh. "I'm going to be honest with you for a moment. You have probably seen the broadcasts from the interview and gossip channels- so you know about my… my condition. From the look of you, I think I could do with someone like you on my side… You might think you've got nothing to offer, but I actually think you have a lot. No one would expect the blind girl to have many skills, but you do."

Tierza's hand swiped at Arianna's arm before sprinting out the door.

"So much for making friends then…" Arianna was curious as to what the blind girl's motives would be… After all, it would be likely that there would have been an inquiry into the circumstances of the death of a tribute from district ten.

The granddaughter of the current president was wondering about everything. From the little life that was growing inside her, to the fact that twenty of the twenty four tributes had arrived in the Capitol. To the way that there were multiple allegiances forming – ones of which would really create trouble for herself. And then there was Toby…

Toby…

As she went back into the training centre, she saw two boys - Maser and Kenji, jumping about the gauntlets. They were quick and swift as they bounded between the platforms. The pair seemed to be in sync with one another – someone of which Arianna did not expect to see form so quickly between tributes.

But she still needed to act fast. Outside it was beginning to get dark as the sun was setting over Panem. There was something so magical about the lights in the Capitol – Arianna would spend many an evening sitting on the balcony of her grandmother's home. From there, she could see for miles and miles. Every twinkling light, each bold advert about the latest treatment and every nightclub that was full to the brim with socialites, lost souls and millionaires.

The lift up to the penthouse gave Arianna an even better vantage point as she rose up the side of the building. She caught a glimpse one of the other tributes in the lift beside her going down to the lobby. The boy from district three – he had been very vocal in expressing his views on the Capitol and the President. These kind of opinions made Arianna all the more worried and cautious.

The elevator doors opened, allowing the girl to stroll slowly into the penthouse.

"Arianna Phoenix!" Elina rushed towards the girl, lifting her chin up.

Feeling the escort's nail scratch her chin, Arianna moved out of her reach.

"I'm fine, Elina," she murmured coldly. "And I don't need you fussing either, please…"

Prosper waved Arianna over to the table by the windows. "I thought we should take some time out to discuss your opinions on each of the tributes that are here and see what you glean from the remaining arrivals. How does that sound?" He looked at Arianna with such a fondness behind his pale eyes.

Arianna sat down beside Prosper, smiling softly. He was like the grandfather figure that she never had, and she always felt relaxed when he was around.

Prosper's hand reached out and moved the cutlery away from Arianna's reach – specifically the knife. "I'm going to start with the obvious – your fellow district one tribute, Mr Griffin."

A sharp pain punched Arianna in the stomach. "I- I- I don't know. Ever since I saw the interview broadcasted for all of Panem to see, I cannot determine how I place Tobias Griffin. On the one hand, he is the other half of me, but I don't know if I can forget about what he said – let alone forgive him for it."

"So I shall leave that as undecided…" Prosper slid a tablet across the table towards me. "Then the district two tributes. Cora Belrose and Anthony Xerxes."

Their faces were lit up on the screen. The faces of all the tributes were there too.

Cora Belrose, Anthony Xerxes, Alice Bolt, Leui Bonnet, Sierra Strineton, Dathan Zachariah, Briana Hemney, Maser Reid, Jacqueli Luve, Kenji Suzuki, Rowena Herran, Salvador Cortex, Cotton Spool, Stitch Arbor, Rae Maichelen, Richard Anderson, Tierza Mar and Ness Liltie.

Then the remaining four names with just a dark silhouette for their photos as they hadn't arrived in the Capitol yet.

Marigold Alderman, Donovan Freeman, Amaya Ito and Liam Night.

"I will definitely get back to you with regards to my opinion on them all – with extensive analysis…"

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I'm sorry for this poor chapter, I'm slowly getting back into this story and hope to give an analysis on the tributes – my take on them from Arianna's perspective so it'll be a slightly different chapter! Don't forget to leave a review **** please?**


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games plot, but the President, Arianna and Tobias belong to me and any tributes belong to the representative writer. *As stated in one of my guest reviews, I haven't been crediting the respective authors in the story, but I have added a list of the characters and who created them to my fanfiction profile page

A/N: I am love love LOVE reading your reviews and cannot wait for you to read this next chapter… Just a word of warning, but this is going to be a dialogue heavy chapter

*Should you be unhappy about any way in which your character has been portrayed, or something that they do, then PM me in our chat thread and hopefully I'll be able to sort it out

**Chapter 14**

Prosper was watching Arianna with a stern expression on his face. "District two – Cora Belrose and Anthony Xerxes…"

Arianna stared back at Prospero. "Aren't you going to tell me what you think of each of these tributes?" She tilted her head to one side.

He shook his head. "No Miss Phoenix – you need to learn to make decisions for yourself." Prosper dropped his gaze momentarily. "You seemed to make some other decisions for yourself without my help."

A burning pain in Arianna's chest caused her to stand up and pace around the room, ignoring her mentor's instructions to sit down. "Cora Belrose is a career, but she is the weakest of the careers in my opinion, from our sessions together with Teresa Manning, we've grown close and I've been able to see her strengths and weaknesses. She is good with knives, but only at a distance. I found that she would struggle to floor me in a hand to hand combat situation…" Arianna stopped to think about the current situation with Cora. "Now that I think about it, me and Cora haven't shared many sessions together – she tends to be busy or choosing not to train with me. Maybe her mentor is getting in the way of our alliance because of me."

Her hands buried themselves into her thick brown hair. "I've ruined everything for Toby – he could have built so man bridges by now. Because of me, we have jeopardised the other."

Elina was busy overhearing the discussion. "Oh come on Arianna, you know that the little Phoenix miracle is just a hiccup, Toby can take care of himself for now. You've not jeopardised anything. If you want my opinion, I'd steer clear of that district two boy – Anthony. I've heard that he's quite the ruthless and savage little boy."

Prospero's elderly hand waved the air in front of Elina's face. "Go and see that traitor of a stylist Darwin and find out why he broke his silence on the matter- or find Tobias and get our tributes to settle their differences." His brow furrowed harder and harder until Elina left. "Okay, the district three tributes…"

"Well Leui Bonnet seems to have dropped quiet after making a couple of outbursts that worried me a little, but I haven't heard from him since." Arianna stared at the face on the screen.

Leui Bonnet had dark hair, that in the photo, had been slicked back, exposing a scar across his cheek. The scar ran from the corner of his jawline to the centre of his cheek. From what Arianna had heard from discussions and interviews, he had grown up in a small part of the third district to a poor family. He had learnt the important of hard work, but there were moments where he would keep to himself at the training centre.

"He's a little secluded. If me, Toby, or any of the other tributes came near, then he would move stations immediately to an empty one… or he would calmly leave."

When it came to discussing the girl of district three, Arianna struggled to place them. Alice Bolt – a young fourteen year old girl who also kept to herself, but there was an incident that the Capitol decided to broadcast. She handed a note to another of the tributes, but she the angle the footage was caught at, there was no way of seeing who the receiver of the note was. If she was ever asked about it, she would say that the truth would be revealed when that person won, but if they died, you'd never know. It was like Alice was taunting the Capitol, and Arianna didn't get why…

Next up for the discussion was Sierra Strineton and Dathan Zachariah. It was clear to the elderly mentor that Arianna liked the pair, but he knew that this could have been brought on by the close bond that she shared with the district four escort and mentor – Talisa and Melissa. Prosper knew the couple well, but didn't want to upset his tribute by saying she should distance herself from him. Instead, he just sat back and listened.

Arianna recalled a moment where Sierra caught a light weight from falling on her as she practiced her press ups. She remembered hearing Sierra grunt and then roll over next to Arianna. It was a weird, and slightly awkward event- plus it was only when Dathan told Arianna what he had seen happen in the training room. Although since then, Sierra hadn't said a word to her.

"Dathan is a strong ally-"

At that moment, the lift doors opened and out stepped Toby causing Arianna to stop talking. Toby noticed this in an instance and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't let me stop you discussing Blondie, I'll be in my room, Prospero. Let me know when you want me to give my opinion." Toby walked towards his room, but didn't notice Arianna rush towards him.

"We still need to talk… About the interview once I was taken away. What you said…"

"I know what I said, Arianna, but I had to. I promised your grandmother. Now don't ask me anymore. Please just go back to your discussion." Toby stepped into his room and slowly shut the door without looking Arianna in the eye.

"Don't call him Blondie!" she called out, before storming back towards the table. "Dathan is a true district four boy. He loves fishing, and insists on eating salmon at every meal. As long as there's a river near him, then he'll have no trouble feeding himself in the arena. He flirts with me, but tells me that he despises flirtatious girls. He is strong… and crafty which is why I keep him close." Arianna looked at the tablet on the table and inspected the district five tributes' faces.

Briana Hemney and Maser Reid, from district five – the district of power.

Nothing about Briana showed that – she was pretty looking girl. The features on her face were so enhanced, but not like the residents of the Capitol let's say. Briana had a plumped and full pair of lips that almost made you ignore the fact that she actually had quite a small nose. It was the girl's messy crop of chocolate brown hair that gave her an edgy vibe.

"Briana, she seems like the tribute that people will route for through sponsorship-" Arianna started, but was sharply interrupted by Prospero.

"What makes you think that she will get sponsors and you won't?" His light and bushy eyebrows furrowed a little as he waited in anticipation for the answer to her question. "Hmm?" he added, prompting a response.

Arianna's hands planted themselves gently onto the white marble chair. "Prospero, we need to stop avoiding the facts. I am the granddaughter of President Phoenix- the President who had reigned over the Games for as long as I can remember. She is the reason that so many of Panem's residents' children, siblings, family and friends are dead. I've heard her referenced as the executioner… People want me dead so that they can watch my grandmother suffer. They won't sponsor me for anything. They will sponsor the ones who are pretty, the ones that charm the audience, and the ones who could squeeze the last breath of air from my lungs. So of course I think Briana will get sponsors, because she looks like she belongs in the Capitol, not district five!"

All that could be heard in the penthouse apartment was Arianna's heavy breathing as she tried to catch her breath. She lowered herself slowly to the chair and found herself scratching the skin at her wrist in agitation. The more she scratched, the more irritated the skin felt, until Prospero grabbed her hands.

"Stop," he said abruptly. "I know this is scary and not a situation I like to see you in, but we have to set a plan in motion, what about Maser?"

"Maser is a keen boy when it comes to training – I've never seen any of the other tributes ask for as many pointers or criticisms as he does. It's clear that Maser wants to do the best that he can. He's young, but it seems like he's trying to make himself the best well rounded tribute. When I see him and Kenji together- the guy from district six, they seem to get on better than being just tributes. It's like they have known each other for longer. His weakness- I have noticed that he tends to avoid going near the fire making station, even when Briana or Kenji would beckon him over… I could use that against him."

Prospero stood up slowly and walked around the table, nodding as he went. "Excellent, now you are thinking like a tribute of the Hunger Games. These weaknesses and strengths are what I need you to start thinking about. This is the time to notice who you are up against, the time to discover how you will bring them down. You may be the President's granddaughter, but you are capable of surviving the Games. District six, Jacqueli and Kenji, what are your thoughts?"

The youngster inhaled sharply when she felt her stomach knot. She froze awkwardly, waiting for it to pass. By approaching seven months pregnant, Arianna was surprised by the size of the bump. It was beginning growing at a speedy rate which made training slightly more difficult, and they hadn't even started the group training sessions. Her stomach expanded just past her chest, and it encouraged her to carry out gentle exercise each morning with Teresa. In preparation for the arena, she had practiced wearing a belly support band – a horrid contraption that gently constricts and holds the tummy in place without distressing the baby. The blind doctor came to visit often to check up on her – it turned out that she was related to Tierza Mae, the girl who asked Arianna to kill her… which made things awkward when the doctor asked about her.

"Aria?"

The girl heard Toby's voice in her ear. It sounded soft and low, but noted with worry and concern.

Arianna shook her hands in the air as if to shoo him away. "No, I'm fine…" She felt bad about sending him away, but every time their eyes met, she was reminded of what he had said to Sphinx and Siren…

_She'll be an ally, until- I no longer need her._

"I'm fine, Toby." She turned to Prospero with a hand caressing her tummy. "Kenji – he's the guy Maser partnered up with. They are very in tune with one another, but he is awkward around anyone else. He can't even look me in the eyes when he's wrong. Despite being fifteen years old, his height makes him incredibly intimidating." Arianna paused momentarily, looking at the boy's face on the screen of the tablet. "I don't think I have much to say about Jacqueli, apart from she is incredibly good at giving me dirty looks across the room-"

Toby decided to make his input. "But she's really smart…"

Arianna's head snapped round to look at him. "Oh of course you like her – all sh had to do is act super sexy and shake her butt at you. I've seen you stare at her as she walks past. Next you'll be telling me that you groped each other behind the weights."

"Come on Aria, you know-"

"Don't call me Aria, you lost that right to call me Aria when you decided you're using me. I was just stupid enough to think that you might actually love me. I should have known not to be so naïve. Now I'm about to be sentenced to die and I've been lucky enough to have conceived your freaking child, but if you want to go play the field and shack up with Jacqueli, go ahead! Don't let the pregnant tribute hold you back…"

"Stop it!" Toby dropped to his knees in front of her, and held her hand. "You are so insufferable sometimes. I don't care about any of the other tributes. I don't care about them, I care about you and our baby."

Arianna looked up at the high ceiling, blinking at the white light. "Toby. You said I'll be your ally until you no longer need me. How do you expect me to just ignore that and get on with life? I'm pregnant and about to compete in a game where I will be the target of the other tributes, just because I am someone's granddaughter – then you say something like that and I don't know if I can trust you."

"We're the tributes of district one. The Phoenix and the Griffin. With your knife throwing and my archery – we're a force to be reckoned with. Now let's see what you think of the other tributes. Districts seven to twelve. I'm interested to see what you think. Starting with Salvador Cortez."

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Oh I am sorry for the dialogue heavy chapter but I had to give some further insight into the district tributes as I know it's been heavily centred on Toby and Arianna with a splash of Cora, Dathan and Tierza – don't forget to review! Thanks for your support **


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